Mark 1b (1:2-3) The Voice in The Wilderness

Can you trust the Bible?

There are those who would say you cannot trust the Bible

We can trust it

If God can make everything, then preserving a book is not hard

The Bible was written over 1500 years by around 40 men and it has no contradiction

Also, the Bible contains many prophecies which have already come true

Here, we will see one...

As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Mark 1:2-3

What is a prophet?

A prophet spoke for God

Today, we do not have prophets; we do not need them

In the OT, they did not have a complete Bible

The prophet was there to speak for God - sometimes judgment, sometimes about the near future, sometimes the far future

Here, we have two prophecies

One is Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah wrote the book of Isaiah - it is the longest prophetic book

The other is from Malachi

Malachi wrote the last book of the OT

Who is this messenger?

Man had sinned, but God had a plan

God chose Israel

He chose a man named Abraham - all nations would be blessed Genesis 12:1-3

God then made Israel into a nation and gave them many laws

He promised if they would follow the laws, He would take care of them Deuteronomy 7:12

If they did not, they would be cursed Deuteronomy 8:20

Israel disobeyed

They went after other gods

God had them conquerored

But then He had them brought back

In the end, Malachi wrote this book and it gave this prophecy

Now it has been 400 years since God has spoken through a prophet

What is his message?

He was to prepare the way and to make the paths straight

Israel was still disobeying

They thought if they were good enough, God would love them

His message was to get them ready for Jesus

Will you listen to God’s word?